1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a device for endoscopic suturing or stitching, and, more particularly, to an end effector for endoscopic suturing or stitching through an access tube.
2. Background of Related Art
Generally, endoscopic surgery involves incising through body walls for viewing and/or operating on a particular organ, such as, for example, the ovaries, uterus, gall bladder, bowels, kidneys, and appendix. Typically, trocars are utilized for creating an incision through which the endoscopic surgery is performed. Trocar tubes or cannula devices are extended into and left in place in the abdominal wall to provide access for endoscopic surgical tools. A camera or endoscope is inserted through a relatively large diameter trocar tube, which is generally located at the naval incision, and permits the visual inspection and magnification of the body cavity. The surgeon can then perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures at the surgical site with the aid of specialized instrumentation, such as, forceps, cutters, applicators, and the like which are designed to fit through additional cannulas.
In many surgical procedures, including those involved in endoscopic surgery, it is often necessary to suture bodily organs or tissue. In the past, suturing of bodily organs or tissue through endoscopic surgery was achieved through the use of a sharp metal suture needle which had attached at one of its ends a length of suture material. The surgeon would cause the suture needle to penetrate and pass through bodily tissue, pulling the suture material through the bodily tissue. Once the suture material was pulled through the bodily tissue, the surgeon proceeded to tie a knot in the suture material. The knotting of the suture material allowed the surgeon to adjust the tension on the suture material to accommodate the particular tissue being sutured and control approximation, occlusion, attachment or other conditions of the tissue. The ability to control tension is extremely important to the surgeon regardless of the type of surgical procedure being performed. However, during endoscopic surgery, knotting of the suture material is time consuming and burdensome due to the difficult maneuvers and manipulation which are required through the small endoscopic openings.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved surgical stitching devices for conducting endoluminal stitching and the like.